Anyone here using the Nikon F these days?

[Ian Rance]

<p>Today I picked up a Nikon F (with cap and shutter extension) for £50. It seems to work fine and is in nice order and I hope to run a roll or two through it.</p>

<p>I don't see much mentioned here but any input or advice would be appreciated. Anythting to look out for or common problems? Also if needed is there a good place to send it for service?<br>

I note the mirror buffer is very tired but can't see a way to access the foam easily as it is behind a ledge. Input on this would be appreciaed too.</p>

<p>A photo of my camera as received is below.</p>

<div></div>

[jon_porter2]

<p>50 quid is a great price for an F in that condition, especially with a prism finder -- and an undented one at that. I think the F and F2 look much better with the plain prism than with the bulky meter finders. I like the vintage body cap, too.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Nice looking camera, Ian. Where are you located? Almost any good repair shop, worth their salt, can CLA an F. An example in that condition is worthy of professional care. Here is some info for you.<br>

<a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/michaeliu/cameras/nikonf/fbody/index.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/michaeliu/cameras/nikonf/fbody/index.htm</a></p>

<p>I'm guessing you'll find more folks actually using this camera on the Classic Camera Forum.</p>

[craigd]

<p>You're more likely to see discussion of the Nikon F and other manual film cameras in the <a href="../classic-cameras-forum/">Classic Manual Cameras</a> forum here on PN.</p>

<p>I own a chrome F with a plain prism that looks a lot like yours. I used it last year when <a href="../classic-cameras-forum/00Yxlt">shooting IR film at Yosemite</a>. Wonderful camera.</p>

[Ian Rance]

<p>Thank you for the input and links - great photos Craig. I'm in the UK but I seem to end up sending things to be fixed abroad. I wonder if Sover Wong fixes Nikon F's? He has a good reputation on Photo.net.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Congratulations. The price is great for the F with the plain prism. Usually that alone goes for that much.<br>

It's as close to indistructable as any camera ever made, or at least it seems so. Lots of us still use this.</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>I've got three, but none as nice looking as that one, sniff. Looks like you stole it for 50 quid. :) With care, it should last a few decades at least. :)<br>

The dead mirror bumper foam is easily scraped off the ledge, that ridge is pretty shallow. You can replace it with a layer or two of the felt from a film canister. The tube of contact cement from the "dollar store" not sure what name they use in the UK for them is, works well. Remove the prism and screen before removing the foam, and hold the camera upside down, so any bits of foam gunk don't fall into the mirror box. Make a scraper from a wood stick.</p>

<p> </p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<p>That is a fantastic find for only 50 quid, especially for an F with what appears to be a pristine unmetered finder and a period appropriate body cap.</p>

<p>AFAIK, Sover works exclusively on the F2.</p>

[mtk]

<p>Ian, I am sorry to inform you, that really isn't a camera, it is a work of art......Ha ha ha....IMHO the best 'looking" camera ever made! I have two of them. One is a shelf queen.....absolutely drop dead goregeous condition..(low speeds are out) I am afraid to even touch it. The other isn't beat just a good user.<br>

Enjoy!<br>

Mark</p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I have four of the beasts, and use them (or rather one at a time in a random and arbitrary rotation) regularly.</p>

<p>None of mine look as nice as that one, but that just means I can use them and knock them around without guilt.</p>

<p>The mirror buffer foam is not terribly critical, but it's easy enough to replace. Just make sure that it isn't too thick or it won't work well and mirror lockup will not release.</p>

<p>If you don't mind sending things abroad I can always throw in my plug for Vermont Camera Works (http:\\vermontcamera.com), with which I've always had good luck. They know their way around old cameras, and I doubt there's anything on an F that they can't fix or find parts for. But if your F is working well now, it will probably keep on working. </p>

 

[mark_pierlot]

<p>All I can say, Ian, is that your F is gorgeous, and that I'm greenly envious!</p>

[Kent Shafer]

<p>Beautiful camera and a great price. I recently paid more than that just for a plain prism (<em>with</em> dent, but I decided it adds character).</p>

<p>If you're willing to send it to the States, <a href="http://www.essexcamera.com/">Essex Camera</a> is one place that works on the F and also the finicky F36 motor drive.</p>

[Ian Rance]

<p>Thanks again for the comments - and I'm glad to hear that the F still has some regular users. It feels a great camera to hold - solid but not bulky. The shutter is smooth in operation too.<br>

I'm pleased with the condition of mine and will look after it when I use it. One thing I cannot quite get the hang of is the MLU. I read that a half press of the shutter raises the mirror but when I press my shutter button - even slowly - the mirror and shutter fire at once, wasting a shot - but then again I do have the F3 for that function.</p>

<p>I will be back to share some 'F' photos when the weather perks up. It is horrible and muddy everywhere in my neck of the woods at the moment.</p>

[Kent Shafer]

Yes, you do have to

waste a shot to lock the

mirror up. One of the F's

quirks.

[paul_wheatland]

<p>I have had Nikon F's since 1977. I still have a 1959 F all original and a 1967 F-36, both have plain finders, wonderful cameras. I once saw a modified F that you did not lose a frame using mirror lock up. You might think about the conversion should your camera need a CLA at some point in the future. I do not know which shop does this modification. By the way, I have replaced the mirror bumper and seals on non Nikon cameras on a regular basis. I've never had to do an F or Nikon F2. You'll know when that happens, the bottom edge of the mirror will have rotting foam debris or the mirror will stick before returning to ready position. In fact I've never replaced any seals on my F or F2! Another issue is F-36 motor drive, supposedly they need to be calibrated for each camera. I've used the same unit on (3) different F's and never had an problem. The same result was discussed by another poster on this site.</p>

[rossb]

<p> I would have bought that camera on the spot. It's awesome. If I owned it I would just send it in for a full service and be glad to have such a fine specimen. </p>

[david_ralph1]

<p>I have an F, with all finders. For the first 20 years of its life, it had regular cleanings and adjustment by a camera repair shop, just as preventive maintenance. Then pretty much on the shelf for years after that, using an FE after that, and then moving on to digital.</p>

<p>When I ran a roll of film through it over a year ago, I discovered that the shutter timing was waaaay off, several stops worth.</p>

<p>I suggest that you run a test roll of film through at various shutter speeds, using a dependable external meter. You can find out if the shutter in this specimen is within reasonable accuracy or not. </p>

[Mike D]

<p>Just the prism alone usually costs much more than what you paid. The body with photomic finder is generally much cheaper than a body with perfect standard prism like the one you have. I don't shoot with my Nikon F anymore but I do drag it out of its bag once in a while to listen to the sound of the shutter. It is the best sounding shutter, period. Nippon Kogaku lenses from that period are also really inexpensive so you can put together a nice kit for minimal cost.</p>

[mdma]

<p>I think many of us would have bought that camera on the spot too, its an absolute steal at that price! <br>

Re: servicing, I can vouch for Newton Ellis of Liverpool. Ive only used them for my Olympus OM cameras but they are pretty savvy with Nikons too i think; I was showed a beautiful, completely unused (sticker still on pressure plate) plain prism Nikon F like yours that had been sent in with a jammed shutter. Their quotes are on the expensive side though.</p>

[paul_soohoo2]

<p>I still have my F that I bought in 1968 (used). Sadly,I haven't used it in years ever since getting a d300 but it holds fond memories. Interestingly, so many have discussed CLA. I've run several hundred rolls if not thousands through mine and it has never seen the inside of a camera shop.<br>

The only place that deteriorates is the sponge rubber damper that the mirror hits. I fixed my years ago with a simple piece of double sided foam (I left the cover on one side) tape and stuck it inside the grove. I made this repair about 15 years ago and it still looks good. <br>

So every now and then I take it out run through all of the shutter speeds and listen to it purr. While I marvel and the d300 nothing really compares to an F (well I'm sure our Leica brethren would disagree).</p>

<p> </p>

[Ian Rance]

<p>Although I have not owned it for a fraction of the time you have Paul, I can appreciate that it is not only a marvel of engineering but set the mould for what we use today. It is also still 100% useable and will liklely give better results than it would in the 1960's with todays fine grained film and multi-coated optics. I'm glad I purchaced it.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>I have two in my father's collection which I have inherited. One chrome, one black. I haven't used them yet but when I pick them up and look through them, the viewfinder image looks three dimensional. Was the screen particularly good in these for any reason?</p>

[patrick_g1]

<p>My grandfather gave me his Nikon F back around 1972 and it has 35 years of adventures and travels with me and is loaded with film today. It's shot counter has never functioned (I have the skills to repair it but have left it as is) but beyond that it is a piece of technological magic. I have an adapter to connect it to a Kowa spotting scope for birding along with other accessories. Yes I have digitals but there is something tangible and delightful about stopping time and sending an untranslated image through glass into the film mash. This is a wonderful camera.</p>

[brad_maestas]

<p>My first pro film SLR was an F4. I just happened to stumble upon a really nice one at a great price in Kansas City many, many years ago. It was stolen and I shot Leica M for many years after that. Then last year I saw the two-part documentary about the Nikon F and it lit a long-lost fire in me to acquire one again, this time an original F. Once I did some research I was amazed at how cheaply the Fs and NIA lenses were going for on the market so I went searching.</p>

<p>I found a black 1970 F with working Photomic FTn finder and a 50/1.4-SC at B&H about two months ago. It had been used carefully. There is some lovely brassing on the body but only a bit. Of course I still lusted after the plain chrome eye-level prism model and I was able to find an NKJ from 1962 (along with a matching 50/2-H) at Adorama earlier this week for an unbelievable price.</p>

<p>I, too, feel that the original F is one of the most beautiful camera designs ever made. I cherish it with all my heart and it is pure pleasure to use. I have delved into meter-less territory before with the M3 and M2 so I felt fairly comfortable commandeering this formidable piece of machinery but it still encompasses its own microcosmos. Long live the F!</p>

[eduardo_barriga]

<p>Hello, I just got a Nikon F with the light meter on top. It is in top condition but I am in the need of some tiny screws that go under the meter finder. Anybody can help me?</p>